Traffic

by Tom Vanderbilt (Knopf; $24.95)

On the face of it, traffic is a simple problem: too many cars occupy too little asphalt. But why does creating new roads induce more people to drive? Why does removing signs and markings seem to make roads safer? And why do countries with corrupt governments suffer more traffic fatalities than their relatively upstanding neighbors? Vanderbilt investigates such complexities with zeal. Surprising details abound: mimes were once enlisted to stand in crosswalks in Bogotá and mock those who violated traffic laws; ladders are the item most often dropped on Los Angeles freeways; humans, regardless of where in the world they live, tend to spend 1.1 hours a day in transit. “Traffic patterns,” Vanderbilt writes, “show us who we are and where we are going.” ♦

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